Strange Behavior
by Phenatic Rabit
Summary: Aela thought her acts toward the Dragonborn were just. She does what any true companion was expected to do, along with a few new things. It was perfectly normal. But the Dragonborn was left to wonder why the Huntress behaved so... strangely.
1. Prologue

.0.

"Sheathe your weapon, Sister. I had hoped you would recognize Aela."

Even after Skjor had said this, Aiedo Lothario was still hesitate to sheathe said sky-forged weapon. She grips the hilt tightly, her sights trained and weapon posed at the werewolf Skjor claimed to be Aela the Huntress, their Shield-Sister, and her friend. She has read the tales in books and heard rumors among the guards, but to be face to face with a werewolf... again! The quests leading up to joining the Companions were happening so fast that it was all disorienting, and Aiedo had some difficulty accepting that the legendary warrior band of Whiterun was made up of fearsome, supposedly mythical creatures. It was hard enough not to kill Farkas after his display of this so called 'beastblood' while trying to claim another fragment of Wuuthrad. But this was too much.

"Why am I here?" Aiedo asks after a beat and sheathes her weapon.

"To reach the heights of the Companions, you must join us in the shared blood of the wolf. Are you prepared to join your spirit with the beast world, friend?"

"I suppose it is too late to rethink this whole thing?" Aiedo's answer was given with narrowed eyes and threat filled growls. The woman holds up her hands and nods. _Still can't take a joke, I see._

Skjor circles the Underforge Fountain and takes the beast's arm, unsheathing a small dagger as he did so. He places it over the bowl and cuts. Aiedo cringes at the sound of the metal tearing through thick muscle. The thought of Skjor harming Aela was... unsettling, but, other than a small growl, Aela seemed unaffected.

Aela's blood pools into the fountain. When it was half full, Aela and Skjor stepped back and Aiedo stepped forward. Skjor says nothing. Aela couldn't really say anything, but the softness in her steel grey eyes said… _something_. Aiedo braces her foot, leans in and drinks. It was about three handfuls of blood when she started to feel warm and tingly. She touches her head with the bloody hand. The blood trails down her face, branching off and nearly dripping into her eyes if they weren't so tightly shut to block out the sharp pain racking through her body. It felt like a fire was burning deep inside of her - her bones twisting and skin tearing. Aiedo doubles over. She hears buzzing in her ears.

"What?" Aiedo growls in annoyance at the tiny voices. It sounded like Skjor was talking. Yelling? Aiedo reaches out blindly as she stumbles against the Underforge's secret entrance. Her hand catches a chain. She _needed_ air.

Aiedo relishes the cool air that soothes her heated skin. She can barely hear what Skjor says over the heartbeat pounding in her ears, or the thunderous roar that rips from her throat.

* * *

.0.

The next thing Aiedo remembered was the pain when a large, heavy pack landed squarely on her scarred stomach. When she breathes in sharply, it was then when she realized that the air was crisp, and she was laying nude in a snowy terrain. She scans her surroundings, sees nothing but snow and trees and darkness that was enhanced with her sharper vision, one of the many attributes that came with the choice she has made. She tilts her head to see the Huntress towering over her, carrying a torch in hand with an elegant brow raised and lips curled.

"Problem?" The Huntress chuckles.

"Where am I?" Aiedo groans as she raises to sit. It felt like she has been stabbed multiple times, even burned, but the sore parts on her body were unsporting, saved for the blood - hers or others, she did not know. "And why does it taste like I ate someone's heart out?" She asks, licking a handful of snow to get out the repulsive aftertaste that lingered in her mouth.

"That's because you did," Aela replies easily. "And to answer your first question: just outside the skirts of Windhelm," she says, eyes raising when she hears a twig snap. She lets out a disappointed sigh when it was nothing but a snow fox and her cubs trotting through the snow. It would've been something to face bandits with Aiedo in this state - funny, but she would have gone out of her way to protect the woman, more so, if needed. Her sights turned to said naked woman. Aiedo was looking up at her with wide eyes filled with fear and confusion - fear, an expression Aela has never seen her friend adorn.

"What?" Aela says.

"What happened in there?" Aiedo asks, her voice dreading for the answer.

Aela brow arches like she should know, but she tells her anyway.

"You went rabid. After you felt like mercilessly killing three guards and a bystander was enough, you scaled the city walls and ran for the woods. Skjor and I tried to chase you down, but lost you half way. My bond to you is stronger since I am your progenitor; Skjor seemed pleased with the outcome. He went on ahead to scout out a Silver-hand camp, Gallows Rock, a celebratory hunt in your honor."

"I killed four innocent people and now I'm having a celebratory hunt to 'honor' it?"

"Yours was not an easy transformation, I admit. But you're still alive, so congratulations."

"So, what now?" Aiedo asks.

"Now you get some clothes on. Unless your transformation has made you somewhat of an exhibitionist, and you're in to that sort of thing, then I don't really have much room to judge. But I am surprised that you haven't frozen to death. It did take me a while to find you."

"Yeah, well, it's a good thing our Nordic blood lets us withstand cold elements... or was it our ability to breathe underwater what makes our race special?"

Aela chuckles when she saw her friend's head was still out of the loop, though she couldn't really blame the transformation all at once.

"I think you are talking about the Argonians, Sister."

Aiedo makes a noise of understanding. Aela offers her a hand and pulls her up. Aiedo slips on ice under the snow and loses her balance. Without thinking, Aela abandons the torch and makes a grab for Aiedo. She catches her by the waist, with Aiedo's hands falling at her chest. Aela pulled her close without even thinking, it seems, seeing how close her body was to Aiedo's. If some drunken fool had stumbled upon them right then, he would probably say they were in a lovers embrace, right before she gutted him.

"Sorry about that," Aiedo mutters after regaining her footing. She pushes Aela at arms length to prove that she could stand on her on.

"No harm done," Aela grumbles, giving the woman her needed privacy by turning to the forest's edge. She bends to pick up the now dead torch she had to drop and relights it. She feels the beast inside of her stir at having the woman so close and under such promising circumstances.

"You gave us even more trouble than Farkas did at his first turning," Aela says in attempt to break the awkward silence that has settled and turn her thoughts to something else, least she does something that she would later regret - or just enjoy immensely.

"Did I, now?" Aiedo questions as she dons her elven armor. She does not see the nod Aela gives.

"I almost envy you. That first time is always the most... _intense. _But you have proven to have some strength in controlling your beast."

"'Control?'" Aiedo scoffs. She pulls down her helmet and turns to the huntress. "I'm still not seeing how I have _control._ Need I remind you that I _killed_ four innocent people?"

Aela circles around in irritation. Aiedo still has yet to see the bigger picture. "That is less than my body count at my first turning."

"So you're saying that I can do this?"

"We all believe you can, Aiedo. We would not have let you join the Circle, otherwise."

Aiedo is silent as she let these words sink in, her dark brows scrunching together, deep in thought. After a moment, she grunts and slings on her pack.

"Alright," she concedes, tying on her sword belt and grasping her shield. "Let's go. Can't be late to my own welcome party. I got to be the first to cut the cake."

* * *

.0.

"Standing there all day isn't going to bring her back any faster, you know."

"I do."

"Then why do you do it?"

The Huntress stops pacing though the question was something to consider. She has been standing there for so long one would think she was rooted to the spot, if it weren't for the constant pacing. But during this situation, someone like her_ needs_ to pace, otherwise she would go insane for not letting her beast run free and slaughter every last member of the Silver-Hand, and strike fear into the ones that would later think twice in bringing the crippled clan back from the ashes. It has been weeks since Skjor was killed, and days since the new member of the Circle had returned with the Silver-Hand's plans. Upon her arrival and thoroughly satisfied with what she had accomplished, Aela sent her out one last time to take out a hidden camp, and she wished to be here to be the first to witness the blood that dripped from her sword.

Aela turns to see Farkas leaning smugly against a post, inspecting a green apple that had a single bite taken out of it. He tosses it carelessly over his shoulder when he saw the Huntress's attention was now on him.

"I do it," she says, her voice hinting a challenge, "because my Blood demands it; it demands vengeance."

"And vengeance you will have, Sister." Farkas walks the few paces to stand alongside her. He places a strong hand on her shoulder. "But don't let your wolf rule over you."

Aela scoffs and shakes her shoulders to be rid of his touch. "You sound like Kodlak. And your brother."

"It seems like the three of us are the only ones with some sense, then. You and Skjor running around like a bunch of rabid dogs."

"Skjor died!"

"Doing what he loved, no doubt," Farkas all but yells, his anger apparent. His piercing glare softens at the wounded expression on Aela's face. He sighs. "Look, I didn't come here to fight, Sister, or to smear our Shield-Brother's name when he is not here to punch my teeth in-"

"-Then why are you here, _Brother_?" Aela asks sharply, her face growing cold. She crosses her arms in defiance. It wasn't the first time one of the Circle members has came up to her, questioning her tactics and judgments. She had dismissed herself with the same curt reply: _I know what I'm doing._

The truth was, she had no idea what she was doing, not really. She was following her beastblood, and her beast told her to _kill._ It was just that. It was simple, easy to remember, and it was always the way things were handled around here. If there was a problem somewhere, the people would hire the Companions to do one thing and one thing only: kill anything that got in your way. But that one rule has seemed to be diminishing with each passing day. Farkas once had the nerve to come up to her with a job: beat a man, but not to death. Death was _prohibited._

Blasphemy!

Aela later learned that Aiedo took the job that she had been so quick to decline. When she was questioned later, Aiedo had answered her question of 'why?'with: _I bested a man twice my size with only my fists, earned a hundred gold, a woman's honor, and a round of free drinks. What more could a warrior hope to achieve with so little effort?_

_Aiedo_.

It has been days since Aela sent her off. She never had a sense to worry about her, but when she stops to think about it, there were too many possibilities. But one stuck out more than the others: What if she was outnumbered like Skjor. Aela told her that they should never go without a shield-sibling, and here she sends the woman off with no one, doing the same mistake she'd made over again. If Aiedo were to die, it would be another person's death on her head.

Aela starts pacing again.

"You are worried for her." Farkas says softly, sensing her change of mood. Aela stops in her tracks and looks at him quickly. When did he become so observant?

"I am," Aela says, though she knew it was more of a statement. No sooner, the doors to Jorrvaskr open and in walks Aiedo Lothario wearing nothing but her small clothes and carrying her pack that looked half empty. Aela eyes widen and her jaw drops. Farkas mouth opens, his icebrain searching for words but finds none.

"Get some clothes on, you damned fool!" Aela sputters when she regains some wits, as if she hasn't seen the woman fully naked before. But for her to just barge in without a care in the world was unexpected, and just downright rude.

Aiedo, startled at first, gives the Huntress her most charming grin, to no avail.

"Aela! Farkas!" Aiedo says, scratching at her scar that ran along her jaw. She doesn't even try to cover up. "I can explain," she says, motioning to herself.

"Please do," Aela mutters, taking a dangerous step towards the whelp. She didn't acknowledged Farkas as he made his timely escape. She only had eyes on warrior, and the warrior eyes the Huntress back, her golden orbs unwavering against Aela's steely grey. Aiedo opens her mouth to speak, but a new voice cuts in, booming over hers.

"You!"

The two women turn there heads simultaneously.

"Tilma," Aela says, puzzled. "What-"

"You!" The old woman says more furiously, effectively cutting the Huntress off and silencing her. She strides over to them in a determined pace, a broom in one hand and holds out the other at Aiedo. The Nord woman looks at the hand, then the owner. She then turns to Aela and, after seeing the Huntress shrug in response to the question that plague her as well, turned back to the old woman.

"What is it you want?" Aiedo asks curtly, folding her arms indignantly over her chest. She and the maid never saw eye to eye. To Aiedo, the reason was unknown (they got along so well when they had first met), but Tilma soon realized that every time she turn her back on Aiedo, she would later return to see the once relatively spotless space was once again made in ruins. Upon remembering this known fact, Tilma raps the pommel none too gently on Aiedo's head for leaving over half a dozen half eaten sweet rolls scattered aimlessly around Jorrvaskr.

The warrior flinches away, stunned at the unexpected attack and the sharp pain it generated.

"Bleeding shit, woman," Aiedo curses, gripping her head as she glares at the elderly woman. "What was that for!"

"Give it back!" Tilma demands instead, again holding out her hand expectantly. Aiedo racks her mind for what exactly the woman was asking for, the throbbing in her head preventing her from thinking coherently. She scratches her temple, then it slowly dawns to her.

"It's in my other pants," Aiedo deadpans, her eye twitching in annoyance for being caught stealing something that had been stolen a while ago. Tilma regards her.

"You're not even wearing any pants," the maid points out. She shakes her head ruefully. "Hooligan," she adds, rapping Aiedo's head with the broomstick again before storming away with a huff. While cradling the knot forming on her forehead, Aiedo calls after her: "I hope all that dust you sweep up retaliates one day and add your ashes to it's collection, hag!"

Aela only blinked through out the whole encounter. She knew how the two acted to one another, so she wasn't at all appalled at the way Aiedo talked to their oldest maid. Had Tilma been several years younger, that would have been Aiedo's form of foreplay. But, still, even she was curious of the exchange. What did she take?

"I'd rather not talk about it," Aiedo says, as if reading her mind. "I just came to get my bloody things."

"Your things?" Aela watches as the woman cross the threshold and disappear behind a pillar. She walks over and sees Aiedo bent over a chest that no one had used before. From there, Aiedo began unloading various items, from simple reagents to enchanted weapons. "You're leaving?"

"Yes," Aiedo responds absently. She pauses, reconsiders. "No." Scratches at her head. "Not exactly..." Aela raises a brow in question, places a hand on her cocked hip as she waits for a intelligible answer. Aiedo sighs at the skeptical look and stops what she is doing.

"I'm moving out."

"I got that much when you said for your things," Aela says sarcastically, bristling. Aiedo couldn't blame her either. She sighs again.

"I'm moving out, yes. But I'm not leaving the city, not yet." Despite herself, Aiedo's grins at her next words. "The Jarl offered me a place to buy after I defeated that dragon."

"A dragon?" Aela muses though she seemed anything but impressed.

Aiedo's broad grin falters as a wave of hurt and guilt washes over her. Aela's hard expression softens. She sighs. "Just... be sure to stop by, once in a while. Okay?" Aiedo brightens at the woman and grabs her hand, gives it a firm squeeze.

"You can count on that," she promises, then resumes what she was doing.

Aela sighs and scratches at her neck. Pauses. She turns to the doors and tries to see beyond them. She caught the scent of an unknown in front the building.

Aela approached the two doors and looks out the window to see a dark-haired, red faced woman clad in heavy steel armor standing at the steps with what seemed to be Aiedo's elven armor sprawled out at her feet, along with other items she has seen in the woman's possession. Aela glances back at the warrior when she hears Aiedo curse. The woman was standing, though she seemed to be weighed down by the items she now carried. "I will be back to get the rest of my stuff. I'm afraid I've went over encumbered again; now I have to give some things to Lydia so I can at least make it to the Warmaiden's.

"Lydia?"

"My new housecarl. I reckon you saw her out there."

"I did," Aela says, taking another cautious look out the window and at the woman. Now 'Lydia' was trying to straighten everything out by placing them into a neat pile; it was probably a small attempt to seem less barbaric to the residents and guards that kept coming up to her, offering to help or telling her what she was doing was not allowed, and that she pick the items up immediately. Her face was a vibrant red. The poor soul.

"Why didn't you bring her in?" Aela questions, looking back at Aiedo. The woman merely shrugs, with some effort.

"She insisted, and you know how I like the wooing of any woman."

Aela grunts in response, rolls her eyes when she turned her back on Aiedo and studies this woman's profile. Aiedo has made it no secret of her preferred sex; it was as discreet as blatantly grabbing someone's ass, which has been done and dealt with at least two guards trying to calm down and reason with an angry barmaid flushed to the tip of her ears, the angry barmaid's equally angry husband, and a sly Aiedo that had walked away from the scene with a satisfied smirk, listening to the indignant shouts of protests from the couple while merrily tossing up a heavy coin purse that was short of one hundred and ninety three gold. Aiedo grins at the fond memories. Discreet, indeed.

With her back still turned, Aela didn't see Aiedo's approach, but she heard the barely audible footfalls made by bare feet. She gives a sidelong glance when Aiedo finally enters her periphery, and like always, the woman was grinning.

"Don't worry so much, friend," she says, though the reassuring words did nothing but upset Aela's stomach further. "And don't think that I forgot about that task you sent me on, either. I will get to it, as soon as everything is settled."

"I know you will," Aela says truthfully, slapping Aiedo's shoulder encouragingly. Unbeknownst to her own strength for a moment, Aela sends Aiedo jolting forward. Aiedo quickly catches her footing. Her eyes wide as realizes she just saved herself from an almost inevitable doom: over eighty pounds of burden crushing her ribs. Glaring over her shoulder, Aiedo slowly made her way to the doors, slowly. Aela almost offered to help, but she had to stop herself least _she_ falls to floor with the sudden burst of pain in her sides from laughing at Aiedo; the woman was moving with the speed five times slower than a pregnant horker.

* * *

.0.

"You can't be serious!" Aiedo grips at him as she roughly takes his arm. Out of all things to be afraid of, 'the big crawly ones' are what make him run with his tail between his legs? Sure, she has a fearsome dislike for the overly large insects, she was only human, but at least she would see to their Harbinger's last request, a quest that the _four_ of them have been venturing on for three days straight. They already left Vilkas behind for reasons she did not care to listen to, but still managed to piss her off after thinking about him standing dumbly at the entrance, twiddling his thumbs, no doubt. Maybe cowardice runs in their family.

Farkas rips his arm from the woman's grasp with some ferocity. He regards her coolly, though; he even looks to Aela for a moment - just enough time to see her disapproving gaze - before turning to Aiedo again.

"Everyone has his weakness, and this one is mine."

And with that said, Farkas simply walks away, muttering 'Give my regards to Ysgramor.' Aiedo watches his retreating back till he rounds a corner, out of sight. She lets out a frustrated sigh, runs a hand through her dark hair before turning abruptly, ready to put this whole ordeal behind her, but almost ended up colliding into Aela instead. Her eyes widen slightly, a flush manifesting on her tanned cheeks before she glances elsewhere. She scratches at her scar, a habit, Aela slowly realized, Aiedo wasn't aware she does when she is thinking of a plan C to Z, lying, or embarrassed. Aiedo brushes past her without a word. Aela watched her as she approached an archway that was blocked by tedious webs.

Aiedo outstretches her hand that cradled a flame - basic magic that the Nord woman was sometimes reluctant to use, though is found to be useful - but stops and turns back to her. Aiedo seemed shocked to see Aela still standing there. Aiedo stares at her, questioningly. As if reading her mind, the Huntress says, quietly, "I'm with you."

At first, Aiedo merely blinks, but slowly her lips quirked into that teasing, charming grin that has really grew on her. Aiedo gives her a nod and turns back to the door. Aela adverts her eyes; the brightness of the flames was blinding.

* * *

.0.

"Did I hear right? Did he say you were to lead the Companions?"

Aiedo, staring at the spot where Kodlak's soul once was, hears her question and turns with a look that showed even she was confused. She glances over her shoulder as if the old man would fade back in and say _Surprise! I got you good; you should have seen the look on your face_! as he slowly fade back out, his laughter at his own joke haunting her forever more, but alas, that did not happen.

"Does this upsets you?" Aiedo asks, looking at her questionably. Aela quickly shakes her head.

"No! You've earned the right. Your strength and honor are apparent to all. And it's my honor to first to address you as Harbinger."

Aiedo sputters out a thanks, a wave of color washing her cheeks as she looks at anything but the Huntress. After finding nothing of interest, she settles with the gore on her boots.

"All this nobility is going to go to my head," she says," and next thing you know, I will be a fat, pompous ass. First, Dragonborn, then Thane of Whiterun, and now Harbinger of the Companions?" Aiedo touches her head and sighs wearily, like all of the events of the past few weeks had finally caught up to her, leaving her mentally exhausted. "Can you do me a favor and recheck the other rooms for loot? I was in such a rush to get here that I didn't even bother to look." Aela agrees without complaint, surprising them both.

_With all the shit I put her through, i__t is the least I can do,_ the Huntress reasons with herself as she exits the way they came from. A favor for a favor.

Aiedo watches her go. When she could no longer see or hear her, Aiedo looks at the altar that had spiked her interest since she had first activated it. Aiedo reaches towards the Flame of the Harbinger, surprised that it did not give off any heat, but burned anything just as fiercely as a orange flame would, into searing ashes. Like that witch's head.

_That was pretty cool._

Aiedo opens her discarded pack and pulls out an item.

Aela didn't know what to expect when she walked in moments later. The steel great sword she carried slips from her limp grasp, clashes onto the floor. Standing with her back to her, Aiedo was holding a Glenmoril witch head by its hair while staring thoughtfully - almost blankly - at the blue flames. Aela starts forward but stops, opens her mouth but closes it. _Don't! _She wanted to cry out at that time. Aiedo has shown no signs of reproval, so she never thought that the woman would ever... Though it would hurt to watch someone - Aiedo, a woman that she helped become what she is now - cure a 'curse' she considered to be an actual blessing, she had no right to intervene. She stills her tongue.

After a few moments, Aiedo seems to blink out the trance and shoves the head back into her pack, slings it onto her shoulders. Aela sharply inhales. She just realized she had been holding her breath.

Aela looks away just when Aiedo turns to inspect the place more thoroughly. As if remembering something, Aiedo looks at the Huntress, seeming somewhat disappointed.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Aela shakes her head. Did she? Aiedo's stare lingers. "Odd," she says with a brief look of puzzlement before continuing to survey the place. There is a sudden spark in her gold eyes as she spots something in the distance. She rushes forward and up the spiraling ramp on the right. Aela thought she was in a rush to leave, without even a goodbye (rude), but Aiedo stops just short of the door. She opens a chest.

"What's in there?" Aela asks, making her voice carry. She sees Aiedo face brighten with a child's delight as she peers at the contents. Instead of answering, Aiedo wanted to show her what she found. But as she rises to stand with the claimed prize, Aiedo wheezes.

"Shit," Aiedo curses, then frowns pitifully upon discovering the item being 'heavy.' Tugging the item with some thought instead of carelessness, Aiedo hefts a shield from the chest and curses her luck as she stumbles back down the stairs to where Aela was standing.

"I know you bear nothing but light armor but," Aiedo holds out the shield, "I thought this would be more of an use to you than me." As she spoke, Aela took the gift, instantly recognizing it. The Shield of Ysgramor. She whistles, tests its weight and balance, then looks at Aiedo and smirks.

"You came to that conclusion just by lifting it once?" She asks, waving it with obvious ease. Aiedo looks away and shrugs sheepishly.

"Better you than some lot that has to only pay two thousand gold for it."

Aela nods her head in agreement, and says, "I believe I can make an exception, just this once."

Aiedo grins at the other woman. She clasps their hands in a warrior's shake before turning to depart. Before she reached the stairs, she does a spin on the balls of her toes to address the Huntress once more.

"Oh, and one more thing: Now that this is all over, I could really use some company, a ... _Companion.__ S_omeone I can really trust, that will always have my back?"

Aela smiles easily. "I was starting to wonder why I was lacking some of your most prized possessions."

Aiedo grunts when those words (prized possessions) suddenly reminded of her past 'companions.' With every friend/companion she made through a fist fight, and the one time she wasted two hundred septims to hire a lousy mercenary that ran away with half of her loot because he had witnessed something... _uncanny,_ Aiedo had always set one ground rule: Don't. Touch. The sweet rolls. And what was the first thing some of them did during a celebratory feast..? And people wonder why she is, and no pun intended, a lone wolf.

"Yes, well, I tend to hold on to all of my possessions, well only the most prized. But don't worry, I will be passing on all of my burdens, and pretty soon, if my guesses are as accurate as they seem. Just try not to run off with all of my items when I use my beastblood; I know where you live."

"Indeed! Then let me say that I would be honored to fight at your side once more."

They exchange items. Aiedo visibly brightens, her fangs sharp and white as she gave her a fool's grin. They sealed the deal with another shake.

"Let's go on an adventure, partner."

"As you say, Harbinger."

.0.

* * *

**I must say, some of the events in this chapter did really happen, and my imagination did run away with others. But I found Aela behavior towards me to be extremely odd. At first I thought it was a part of the Companions plot, but after watching different gameplays I saw that my Aela was the only one standing there every time I entered Jorrvaskr, and she didn't move from that spot until all of the quests avenging Skjor's death were finished. And thus this story was born! The title was also influenced by Aela's 'Strange Behavior.' I will try to include every questionable part of my gameplay into this story, so there is no **_**real**_** plot to all this madness. Though, coming from me, what did you expect?**

**Also, this chapter is in little snippets just to show the moments that weren't really big, in my opinion, but really helped Aela's and PC's blossoming friendship come into full bloom. So, don't expect it to always be like this. **


	2. Chapter 1

.0.

"Is there a reason you are walking around with an unsheathed weapon?" Aiedo looks up to see her housecarl in the mist of stirring something in the cooking pot. It looked horrid, but smelled delightful. Aiedo knew better to judge a book, not by its cover, but by its smell. The gruesome looking meals she cooked always looked the same, but her Shield-Siblings asked for seconds.

"You don't know the amount of willpower it is taking me to resist making a joke," Aiedo says as she closes the door to their home. She grins at the pointed look Lydia directs her way and shrugs. "I just turned in a bounty on a giant. I have his toe as a souvenir; you want to see?" Lydia fervently shakes her head. Aiedo holds it up anyway, causing Lydia's face to contort in disgust. "What?"

"You're disgusting," her housecarl says. Lydia brings the wooden spoon to mouth, cools it with her breath and tastes. She smacks her lips as she considers the quality. "Come, taste this." Aiedo does, and Lydia studies her face. "What do you think?"

"It could use some salt," Aiedo tells her as she takes off her sword belt. She hangs her blade on the weapon's rack, next to the Staff of the Familiar she keeps meaning to sell, then proceeds to take off the upper half of her elven armor.

"There is no more salt," Lydia informs her. She samples the stew again and discovers that it did, in fact, need more salt.

"No more salt?" Aiedo circles around in surprise. "What happened to all of the salt I looted from those bandits?"

"I wondered why I found blood in some of the piles." Lydia cracks her one of her rare smiles. Aiedo could have sworn it cracked her face. "Have you ever earned anything the honest way?"

"The what-way?"

"Funny."

Aiedo looks at her housecarl funny. "I don't know what you are talking about; that wasn't a joke. The only thing that I have earned the honest way was this house." And it wasn't even then. Irileth was the one putting a whoopass on that dragon. Aiedo just came in at the last moment, managed to find an opening and mounted that beast's head and hacked at it until it fell. "You never answered my question. Is this your doing? Every time I come home you're sitting down, stuffing your face. You pig."

Lydia's rare smile becomes an old legend. "I'm going to let that comment go for the reason being that I enjoy your company, and I don't want your beheaded body haunting me while I try to get comfortable in the cell I will surely be sleeping in."

"Oh my, are you implying murder?" Lydia shakes her head as Aiedo laughs.

"I'm not implying anything. But you are right: it is my doing. I restocked your potions."

Aiedo's mocked shock became genuine.

"You know alchemy?"

"I learned from the best," Lydia says as she meets the other warrior's appreciative stare. "Farengar knows what he is doing."

Aiedo places a hand over her wounded heart. "Ouch!" Laughing, she pats Lydia's broad shoulder before walking to the other side of the living quarters. Lydia watches her go before turning back to the cooking pot.

"Tell me of your adventure," she says.

Aiedo walks back over a moment later with two tankards in her hands. "With the giant?" She hands one to Lydia. "You could have found out for yourself. But, no, you wanted to stay cooped up like an old housewife."

"I was too busy making your home befitting of your stature, bearing your third child and cooking you a salt-less meal, love,"Lydia retorts. She wasn't in a drinking mood, but she takes a gracious sip before handing it back and resumes cooking. "Besides, I wasn't technically talking about that one. You have any others?"

Aiedo downs her own drink in two gulps and wipes her wet mouth on the sleeve of her white tunic. After laying her tankard down on the small table, she tilts her head to the side and thinks. "There was one, but there is not much to tell. I just simply found a hidden cave; I forget the name."

"What horrors did you face there?"

"Draugr," Aiedo says through a yawn. Lydia shifts her weight when the constant stirring began to tire her arms, scoffs at the absurdity.

"So no challenge, then?" Lydia could hear the wood of the chair strain under Aiedo's weight.

"You could say that," Aiedo says as she leans forward. She places her chin in her palm and, after finding herself enraptured, begins to stare thoughtfully. "The only challenge was seeing what in Oblivion I was looting. It was terribly dark."

"Instead of looting embalming tools and skulls, you should try finding some torches." Aiedo hums absentmindedly. She didn't even try to defend that they were souvenirs and trophies. Strange. Lydia steps to the side and looks back at the warrior wryly. Aiedo blinks out of her trance, sheepishly grins and leans back in her seat. She swirls the drink in Lydia's cup.

"There wasn't much to see, anyway."

"And let's keep it that way, my Thane."

* * *

.0.

Jon Battle-Born watched her from the post he seemed to be nailed to with his bulky arms routinely crossed in front of his chest. Aiedo didn't know if his hard expression was fixed that way, or only changed when he saw her, but his scowl softens enough and he smiles pleasantly as she passed.

"Hail, kinsman!"

Aiedo smiles as well, but for a different reason. She wondered how he would react if he knew that she was responsible for the deaf of Idolaf. She was never told this, but after seeing the coffin being transported to the Catacombs, and the mourning family of Battle-Borns, she could put two and two together. So it was _his _heart she had eaten. No wonder it tasted repulsive.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite drinking buddy!" An old Redguard in dirty rags stops in front of her and waves in her face. Aiedo stops, reaches forward to grab his bony shoulder so he didn't trip over his own two feet.

"Brenuin, still as soberly drunk as ever, I see." Brenuin jumps, startled by her voice. He hiccups then laughs at himself.

"Yes, yes..." he slurs as he pats Aiedo's cheek. "Oh! That reminds me..." he stands up as straight as he could and holds out the tankard he was carrying "Here."

"What is it?" Aiedo asks as she peers into the cup from where she stood. Brenuin smiles broadly; his shoulders began to shake with giddiness. He motions her closer and whispers, "Argonian ale!"

"You still have that?" Aiedo asks, astounded. "I thought you would've emptied that bottle in one sitting."

Brenuin smiles and shakes his head. "No, no. Tempting, yes, but I'm trying to draw it out as long as I can, to savor every last drop." He offers his tankard again. "But if I had to share it with anyone, it would be with the person that made this moment of life worthwhile. Here, friend." Aiedo politely refuses.

"Maybe another time, old man. I have to be alert and sober right now." He nods his head in understanding but makes her promise that they would get together when she was free. Before she could reply, Mila and Lars runs up to her, grabs her arm and tugs. Aiedo reaches into her pocket and tosses Brenuin a septim.

"Here, save me a seat at the Bannered Mare," she says as she is dragged away. She allows herself to be dragged to the Gildergreen sapling that was blossoming beautifully before taking her arm back. She looks at the grinning children, growls playfully, "This had better be good!" and lunges at them. The two split and go in different directions, giggling. Aiedo chases after Lars. He leads her towards Dragonsreach before turning sharply, trying to shake her. He then runs up and around Jorrvaskr, tripping on the way down the stairs. Aiedo reaches out to him and catches him under the arms before he could fall on his face, twirls him in the air, places his feet back on the ground and runs away, yelling 'tag!'

Aiedo and Mila managed to dodge Lars for four games, running behind the back houses, through people and around the Gildergreen.

"Come on, you have to do better than that," Aiedo taunts. She was running backwards through the market, watching Lars struggle to keep up with her. "This is embarrassing!" She turns to see where she was heading, sees Lydia sweeping dust out of the door and waves. Her housecarl looks at her like she was stupid, rolls her eyes and slams the door.

"This is cheating!" The boy pants and tries to redouble his efforts, only to fall farther behind. "Your legs are longer than mine!" Aiedo turns around and sprints towards the gates.

"That hasn't stopped you before, pipsqueak." She looks over her shoulder and waves in farewell, not watching where she was going. "I have to g-" She runs into someone warm, sticky, and padded in armor. The person grips her waist in surprise and they both fell to the ground before anyone could stop them. Aiedo's head jerks forward, smashing against the rock. She reaches up and softly touches her throbbing head, surprised to feel no gash pouring blood. Groaning in pain, she apologizes to the person below her.

"Aiedo?"

Aiedo opens her eyes to see a familiar pair of silver ones staring up at her. Red creeps up her neck, and she quickly sputters out another apology. She tries jumps up and slips, accidently kneeing the other woman in her hasty attempt, making her to gasp in pain and Aiedo apologizes again, her blush deepening. Before she could make a bigger fool of herself, Aiedo was suddenly hauled in the air and onto her feet.

"Sister," Farkas greets with his gruff tone as he dusts her off. He turns to help up Aela, but she was already standing and dusting herself off. He turns back to her and says, "It's good to see you."

"Farkas? Aela?" Aiedo looks at the duo that was covered in blood curiously and idly scratches at her scar. "You two having fun without me?"

The Huntress grunts, which vaguely sounded like a chuckle.

"We've just returned from hunting." She turns to Farkas and adds seriously, "Never again." The burly man colors slightly and rubs his neck. "I couldn't get a single game because mammoth-feet over here kept scaring them away with his stomping about."

When she was sure her face was it's normal shade, Aiedo looks them over again and comments, "What's with the blood, then?" Aela looks down at herself and sighs.

"On the way back, we ran into a pack of wolves. I skinned them for their hides; you know, so I didn't come home empty handed. That would be bad for my reputation." The Huntress eyes the casually dressed warrior and asks, "How are you?"

"Bored. I keep checking with the residents but they insist that I've done everything I could, for now. There seems to be nothing to do in the surrounding area, either, so when I was finished playing with the kids, I thought I would go down to the stables and groom Allie."

"If you were looking for work, you could have just asked me," the Huntress says, clearly annoyed with her.

"You weren't even here," Aiedo points out. Aela frowns and crosses her arms.

"I'm here now," she says, motioning to her apparent self. "Ask me."

Aiedo groans and helplessly looks at her Shield-Brother, who slowly backs away when he saw her pleading look and shakes his head. Aela pointedly clears her throat and taps her foot._ Well?_

Slapping a hand on her face, Aiedo grumbles in a barely audible voice, "Is there any work to be done?"

A beat passes, then two, then three. Aiedo peers through her fingers, and Aela grins mischievously.

"Ah, yes," the Huntress begins. She rubs her chin, as if she _really_ had to think about it. Rolling her eyes, Aiedo takes out her journal and waits for the details. "A citizen of Whiterun has asked for our help. It seems that a predator has invaded their home, and someone needs to clear the beast out."

Aiedo scribbles into her journal. "Just give me the location, dear sister. I've heard these words before."

"Riverwood." Aiedo looks up in surprise.

"Again?" Shaking her head, she writes the name into her journal then closes it. "Good profit, I suppose." Aiedo turns to leave, motions Aela to follow her. Together, the two walked towards Breezehome, leaving Farkas behind at the gates. Watching the two women go, Farkas simply shrugs and heads back to Jorrvaskr on his own, whistles a small tune as he did so.

"You don't want me to come with you?" Aela asks her Shield-Sister. Aiedo gives her a sidelong glance and smirks at her expression.

"I'm going to take Lydia this time; she desperately needs to get out more. But, until our return, you are more than welcomed to stay at my home. You can give it that Huntress's touch, ogle my trophies, cook yourself a meal..."

"I've never seen the inside of your house before," the Huntress muses aloud. "And those suggestions sound lovely." When they reached her home, Aiedo stands to the side and holds the door open. Aela acknowledges the chivalrous act. As she passes to enter, she hears Aiedo softly add, "Rest in my bed... nude..."

"Don't push it."

* * *

.0.

Aiedo pulls sharply on the reigns, causing Allie to come to a screeching halt from her gallop. She leans forward and rubs the snorting horse's neck in apology while staring at the fort several yards away from the road they were on.

"Is there a reason we are stopping?" Lydia asks when she finally catches up and Aiedo was impressed; she didn't even sound winded. "I almost broke my record for the 'most miles ran while traveling with Aiedo,' again."

Aiedo shakes her head in amusement. "You are one of a kind, my dear," she says as she takes out her world map. "Besides, must I always have a reason for my doings?"

"It would be nice for a change," Lydia replies with a shrug. She takes a green apple from one of the satchel's on Allie's saddle and walks around the steed. Allie turns her head and looks at her with those big brown eyes. Her ears upturned. _For me?_ her expression read. Lydia chuckles while nodding. The horse lowers her head and takes the treat into her mouth and begins munching loudly.

"A change from what?" Aiedo asks as she marks their spot.

"You doing things rationally, and not just blinded by the thought of gold or women." Still chewing, Allie huffs and vigorously moves her head up and down. _Damn right._

Aiedo glances between Lydia and map before settling on the map again. "What about gold _and_ women?"

"Is there a difference?"

Aiedo lightly touches her chin in thought and grunts 'I can't believe I missed this!' to herself. Seething, Lydia reaches up with blinding speed and roughly takes the edge of Aiedo's armor and forces the woman to look at her. "I mean it, Aiedo! What if there are more people than you expect here?" Without taking her eyes off of the map, Aiedo takes her hand and gently pries it off; Lydia unconsciously takes a fistful of Allie's mane, quickly lets go when Allie whines in alarm. "Or what if they are stronger than you are?"

A brow arches. "Stronger than me?" Aiedo throws her head back and laughs at the Gods. Numbers have never been an issue for her, and she has yet to find a group that she couldn't handle, whether on her own or with a companion. She was just too good at what she does. Aiedo's laughter stops when her housecarl slaps her leg.

"We're almost back at Whiterun," Lydia says, frowning when Aiedo regards her with a blank stare. "It's about to rain, anyway," she points out. Aiedo looks up at the darkening clouds and shrugs.

"I always thought I performed better when wet."

"You're sexual innuendos are most unbecoming of you!" The outburst caused Aiedo to look back down at her red-faced housecarl. She spots the tightly clinched fists at Lydia's sides and sighs heavily.

"You worry too much," Aiedo says with a charming grin as she folds the map and puts it away. Lydia only smoldered further, and Aiedo adverts her eyes least they burn at the intensity of her gaze. "Who are you and what happened to the bad-ass, no nonsense housecarl that was first appointed to me? Did you change, or did someone change you?"

"I'm just concerned... for Allie, and you. Especially you..." Lydia shakes her head angrily, as if to shake away unwanted thoughts. She looks up with a raging inferno in her eyes and jabs Aiedo in her breastplate with an accusing finger. "I swear, if I take one more arrow to the knee because of you..." She leaves the threat empty. Aiedo visibly pales and shudders.

"Noted." Aiedo dismounts. She looks at the fort again and frowns. "I can't _believe _I missed this!" She says again, shaking her head disbelievingly She takes a couple of health potions from her pack and hands them to her housecarl, leaving the pack for her warhorse to safeguard. After she straps on her quiver of steel arrows, she points over Lydia's shoulder and says, "That is why I stopped: I need to go discover what they call this place and, possibly, rid this world of a few trouble making bandits. You know, to make it a better place and junk."

After putting the potions in an easy, accessible place, Lydia looks at her Thane critically and crosses her arms.

"And just so happen to find a couple hundred gold whilst you rid the world of these trouble making bandits, making it a better place and junk?"

Laughing, Aiedo slaps her shoulder as she passed.

"That's the spirit!"

Rolling her eyes, Lydia turns to follow her Thane and resembles her sneak position. They crouched walked behind a large boulder. Aiedo takes off her elven bow and nocks an arrow.

"On my go," she whispers to her companion. As she scouts the area, Aiedo could hear the soft clang of Lydia baring her blade. She immediately spots three bandits (two by a campfire, and one on a makeshift post that was connected to the camp by a rope bridge), but quickly crosses them out, though, for they were all moving. Her grip slackens. Aiedo curses under her breath.

"What wrong?" She hears Lydia ask in a harsh whisper. Ignoring her, Aiedo narrows her eyes and scouts again for different targets. One of the bandits she had spotted earlier walks on the wooden bridge and stops to look around. He was facing away from them. Aiedo pulls the bowstring then releases. The arrow sailed through the air with a soft whistle. There is a thud when the arrow impaled itself into the back of the bandit's skull. He falls forward and off of the bridge.

There is a small uproar, then, "You're going to pay for coming here!"

Lydia was the first to jump up from their positions.

"I'll cover you," Aiedo says as she quickly nocks another arrow. Lydia rushes forward with a battle-cry, bashes the nearest bandit with her banded shield and runs forward to take on the two bandits charging at her with their weapons drawn. Aiedo aims at the Redguard woman Lydia staggered. The bandit wasn't able to regain her composure before her thoughts were interrupted with an arrow to the head. Aiedo was beginning to nock another arrow but decides against it; there was too much rabble. Moving targets were not her forte. She needed training. She needed to hunt. After grabbing her discarded shield and blade, Aiedo mentally notes to talk to Aela once this was over, and they were safely back at Whiterun.

Aiedo lets loose her own battle-cry, one that causes the three bandits heading for her to flee. She chuckles darkly and pursues them up the hill. She catches up with a Nord with the blonde mohawk and wraps an arm around his throat.

"Where do you think you're going," she teasingly asks. She brings her sword down into the bandit's chest A clean wound, through and through. She raised her shield hand to block an oncoming attack on her blind side. The man grunts as his attack was deflected and stumbles, his sword unbalancing him. Aiedo rips her blade from the dead body, pivots and drives it into the other bandit's gut, uses the shield to push him off.

The third bandit she had sent fleeing, a female Orc, stalked towards her with a menacing looking warhammer. Aiedo raises her shield and waits, concentrates. The Orc, grinning wickedly, heaves the hammer over her head and... time slows. Narrowing her eyes, Aiedo circles around her opponent and plunges the blade through her neck before she could even make it mid-swing. The Orc falls to her knees. Aiedo places a boot on her shoulder and shoves her off. Her battle-sense detecting no immediate danger, Aiedo looked at her handy work and grinned proudly.

There is a strangled scream of pain.

"Lydia?"

Aiedo rushes to the rope bridge; the sounds of metal striking metal grabs her attention, and she looks down to see a female Nord in fur armor fall to the ground, and Lydia being further advanced by a heavy-set bandit with a battleaxe. She was about to use her bow, when she spots two things: a lever, and a pile of rocks being held by a trap door. Quickly thinking, Aiedo purses her lips and whistles. Without having to look, Lydia nods, and Aiedo watches her lure the bandit closer to the trap; her fingers itches to pull the lever. When Lydia was out of range, and the bandit was right where she wanted him, Aiedo pulls the lever and watches, with great satisfaction, the large man being crushed to death by even larger rocks.

Aiedo raises her crimson sword and yells in triumph.

"You alright?" she asks curiously as she sheathes her blade. Lydia was glaring at something ahead, something she couldn't see from where she stood.

"There's one more."

"You need help?" Aiedo asks, her hand already on the hilt. Lydia looks up at her defensive pose and smiles.

"I got this one; he's in leather armor. You just go ahead and commence with your 'looting for the greater good,' Thane." Before she could object, Lydia disappears. Aiedo stands down, and is relieved to hear Lydia's death quote, metal tearing through flesh and a mannish squeal.

"That's my Big Girl," Aiedo mutters fondly before turning to plunder all things that were gold, enchanted or made of glass. She finds coin purses and items that were worth at least one hundred septims each, but it wasn't until she finds a glass shield that she counts this venture a success.

"Look at what I've found." Allie cranes her neck and looks at her master quizzingly. Aiedo dumps the load in her arms on the ground, then holds up her new shield. "A beauty, eh?" Allie studies it for a moment then nods in agreement. _I can see my reflection! _Aiedo laughs, reaches up to briefly stroke Allie's mane. She kneels to store the rest of the items into her pack and says, "I even found a few things Lydia could probably find a use for."

The thunder seemed to have shaken the earth. Fully packed and ready to go, Aiedo stands and peers up just in time to be hit in the eye with a raindrop.

"Guess that is our cue," she says as she rubs her teary eye. "Ready to go, Lydia?"

A flash of lighting strikes the horizon; seconds later, another clap of thunder. Allie whines.

"Lydia?"

Dropping her arm, Aiedo looks around to see the two of them alone on the road. A sudden clap of thunder drowns out her voice, so she tries again.

"Lydia?"

A cold hand grips her heart. Aiedo runs towards the bridge, jumps over the rocks. She spots a man in leather armor on the ground with a deep wound in his chest, and nobody else.

"Lydia!"

She climbs the hill, sees the three bodies, and nobody else. She peers down, sees the arm sticking out of the pile of rocks, and nobody else. She searches the area numerous times, and sees the same six bodes every time.

Feeling suddenly cold and numb, Aiedo falls to the wet ground, her knees digging into the mud. Her severe breathing puffs into the cold air. She hears the soft trotting over the downpour with her sensitive ears, but it wasn't until there was a gently nudge to her shoulder that Aiedo ruefully turns and looks at her faithful companion with eyes wide with doubt. Allie lowers her head onto hers in a brief moment of comfort, then looks her in the eye. _We need to go._

Aiedo blinks, the rain rolling down her cheeks, mixing with her tears. She looks at the damned fort again, a strange feeling churning in her chest. The wind picks up, forcing it's doors to shake violently, nearly off of the henges. Her vision blurs. _I can't believe I missed this!_

Aiedo stands. She takes one step, and then another. She's walking towards a place that is safe, warm. A place that is housing more... _people._ The cold rain felt warm against her heated skin. Her body grows heavy but she pushes herself forward. She touches her pounding head, but doesn't try to push the feeling away, because she wanted this. She _wants_ it to happen. Her eyes begin to glow; her fangs elongating.

The bandits crowded around the fire jumps up in alarm when the doors were forcibly opened. They see a soaked woman lean heavily against the door frame, panting. They were frantically grabbing for their weapons when her head snaps up. Aiedo's face contorts in rage, and a feral roar tears from her throat.

* * *

**Happy Holidays! ****I just wanted to thank everyone that is following and/or put this story on alert. I also wanted to thank the people that reviewed and added me on their favorite author's list; I was so hyped!**

**On my first playthrough, that outcome regarding Lydia did happen. I never found a body, but I never found her either. She wasn't at home, she wasn't with the Jarl... Lydia just disappeared. So the thing I am going to do with her is let you guys choose if I should bring her back, or have her missing forever. If, perchance, that I get Skyrim for Christmas, the first I'm doing is starting a new Aiedo to closely follow this storyline, but, saying that, there will be changes. I really liked her, but I will let the readers decide on this one because, honestly, I have no idea.**

**And just something I forgot to clarify on the last update because I think it is my duty to do so: I didn't mean to tease you with the fun times I had with Lydia, just to immediately 'kill' her off because I was too lazy and wanted the story with Aela to officially start. I stopped taking her with me when she almost died, twice (hence the arrow-to-the-knee joke.) I felt bad for all those times I walked in to see her sitting in the corner, munching on bread. And now you see how that all played out for me.**


	3. Short 1

.0.

"It's a fine day with you around."

Aiedo stops mid-step, back tracks and turns on her heel. She puts on her best game face (with little effort on her part) and approaches her favorite stall in the market. Ysolda curses her luck when she spots the wave of seduction and arrogance heading her way. She was only being friendly!

"Think nothing of it, oh Thane of Bigheadedness," Ysolda says before the warrior could say anything. "You know I say that everyone." But those words did nothing to stop Aiedo from leaning suggestively on Carlotta's stall. She rests her head on her knotted fingers and stares at Ysolda with those unnerving, lazy gold eyes of hers.

"Aye, but I am not Everyone; I am Aiedo Lothario, Dovahkiin, Thane of _Whiterun_, and Harbinger of the Companions." She has gotten used to the titles, and now flaunts them where she sees fit. "I'm also the person that helped you pursue your dreams by getting that mammoth tusk, which was no small feat, I might add."

Ysolda leans forward and flicks the leering warrior on the nose. "And I thanked you by giving you bargaining lessons!"

"Is that what that was? I thought you was demonstrating the charming effect of that devilish tongue of yours."

"You're insatiable!"

"Maybe you would like to sate my appetite, then?" Feeling something brush against her, Aiedo glances over her shoulder and sees the retreating, swaying form of Olfina Gray-Mane. Her eyes darken. "Well, at least for a moment." Ysolda crinkles her nose as if smelling something repulsive, poorly masking her distaste for the warrior's lack of scrutiny.

"You're a wretch," she points out with the utmost respect, "and I'm sorry to say, but I can't indulge you any longer. At least not now; you are scaring away potential customers."

With the closing of the Cauldron's doors breaking her trance, Aiedo catches the last of her rant and turns her head this way and that to inspect the area around them. The only people in the market were Ysolda, Jon, the other stallholders and her.

"Yeah, business sure is booming," Aiedo says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She turns to see Ysolda glaring at her, causing her in turn to shrug. "Just pointing out the obvious. Besides, Carlotta's stall isn't even open today; she is sick."

"_My_ stall." Ysolda chastises her by flicking her nose again. "Carlotta is letting me use it until she recovers."

"Well, let's hope it isn't too soon, eh? Between you and her, I would much rather wake to see your beautiful face every morning." Ysolda's frown falters, and then returns with less intensity.

"I see my barging lessons have taken some effect," she points out with mild surprise voiced in her tone. She crosses her arms and arches a brow, as if sizing Aiedo up. After a moment, she looks to the side and murmurs, "For better or worse..."

Aiedo leans forward to catch the softly added bit.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing," Ysolda says quickly with a dismissive wave, causing Aiedo to laugh.

"At least let me buy something," Aiedo says, untying her coin purse. She reaches in and pulls out four gold. She lays them down for Ysolda to take and reaches for her exchange: a red apple. "For your troubles," she clarifies when she catches Ysolda's incredulous look. She brings the fruit to her face and studies it with slight regard. Seemingly satisfied with her brief examination, Aiedo wipes the fruit off on her tunic, and while doing so, she looks up and says, "Forewarning: I come here twice a day. Unlike this lot," she says, jerking her thumb over her shoulder to point out no one in particular, "once I get a taste of something good, I will always come back for more."

Ysolda surprises her by laughing soundly.

"Oh, Aiedo," Ysolda coos, as if complementing the cuteness of a small child, "you don't know the amount of hilarity that statement holds." She reaches out and lightly touches the perplexed warrior's scar. "If only you knew what I _really_ do behind closed doors."

Quickly recovering from her previous confusion, Aiedo tilts her head towards the warmth, makes direct contact with the stallholder and smiles devilishly; the wolfish grin unsettles Ysolda. Aiedo places an arm on the stall, leans forward till her lips brushed Ysolda's ear and whispers, "Can I have a sample from this private life of yours, then? I heard what you got is good." Ysolda's eyes widen as she heard these words and her cheeks color. She narrows her eyes and leans back to get a closer look at the warrior's face to try to gauge a reason for her response, but Aiedo's grinning face and twinkling eyes revealed nothing but eternal lust and wickedness. For a person so obscenely blunt, she was so hard to read!

Ysolda quickly looks around before leaning forward to whisper, "What are you talking about?" There was a slight quiver in her voice. Aiedo steps back. If possible, her shit-eating grin widens.

"What are _you_ talking about," the warrior returns with an evil laugh that said that she knew things. Without giving the other woman time to respond, Aiedo turns and leaves. She was a couple of steps in when she heard the torrid of curses being thrown at her back. The warrior in turn throws a quick, dismissive wave over her shoulder and says 'yeah, yeah,' as she walks away with an unhealthy swagger. She brings the fruit up to her face, grins at the grinning reflection. She bites into the ripe apple, and doesn't bother wiping away the juice that ran down her chin.

* * *

**Chapter 3 is taking longer than I expected. I didn't want to update the story just so you could get hype over a short message saying how I am failing hard at this and that it will take a while. I was going to wait before introducing these 'Shorts,' but I can't wait any longer; even I'm getting impatient with the late updates.**

** Long story short, ****I have a file that is literally named 'Junk.' It is basically filled with small sections that were meant to go into previous chapters, but I couldn't find a way to work them in. So, if you would like for me to upload some Shorts, just to tide you over till the next chapter, then I will gladly start doing so. If not, just let me know.**


	4. Chapter 2

.0.

After seeing the inside of her friend's house, which seemed to be stocked with the items that came with the new furnishings, Aela decided that the first thing she was going to do was give the place the Huntress' touch. After clearing off the desktop and shelves in the living quarters, she rummages through the chest in Aiedo's room to see what could go up there instead of pans and bowls filled with tomatoes and gourds.

Digging her way past two hundred pounds of dragon bones and scales, Aela begins to pull out weapons and armor pieces that looked worthy of displaying. She was only part way through the chest, and she already had an impressive pile beside her. Pushing aside a pair of fine clothes, she spies a necklace at the bottom, just past the Glenmoril heads that Aiedo seemingly decided to keep. She pulls it out, tilts it towards the light to inspect it further, and immediately flushes, because the necklace she held in her hand was an Amulet of Mara.

Aela drops the item as if it had burned her. She turns away and looks back inside of the chest, ignoring the flare of jealousy that rouses in her chest. Satisfied with what she had, she gathers the bundle of items into her arms and stands, making sure to kick the chest shut before leaving the room. She stops just short of the stairs and turns slightly to acknowledge the weapon plague that displayed Kodlak's warhammer. She dips her head and gives a quick prayer before descending the stairs, grabbing a troll skull on the way down.

"Now," she begins as she drops the items onto the floor. She places her hands on her hips and studies the empty shelves around her. "How should I go about this..."

She takes a step back to get a further perception, knocking something back with her heel. She looks down and sees the troll skull she had grabbed. She bends down to pick it up, and couldn't help but to laugh at the way its jaw flopped around on its hinges. Smiling, she grabs the skull by its jaw and begins to move it up and down, making it animate. Though she didn't actually talk, she did make noises as if it was, and after a moment of thoroughly amusing herself, she decides to put the skull on the top shelf. With something to work with now, the rest of the items seemed to come in place naturally.

"And... there!" She heaves a relieved sigh, hours later, as she places the last item, a shield of Whiterun, down with much care because even with the slightest touch, it seemed, and everything would topple over, and she would have to do it all over again. With her hands out to avoid any mishaps, she steps back. It wasn't until she was feet away that she drops her hands and admires her work. She grins triumphantly.

During her appreciation, her stomach growls, and at that same moment, Aela remembers Aiedo's departing words: _Feel free to help yourself to the stew, but know that Lydia made it. _Aela fixes herself a bowl of stew. She takes her first spoonful in and decides that it wasn't bad, considering that Aiedo didn't make it, but it could have used some more salt. A couple of spoonful's later and the wooden spoon was brushing the bottom of the bowl and coming up empty.

Aela frowns. She had finished the bowl quicker than she had expected. She was tempted to get a second helping, but decides against overstuffing herself - a habit that was happening more frequently, especially with Aiedo's cooked meals.

After placing the bowl down, Aela stretches, her bones making a resounding, popping sound. All of the rooming about has made her somewhat weary. She had a chance to ogle Aiedo's trophies when she was rearranging, so all that was left to do was to relax.

With another hour gone by, she judges by the length of the candles, Aela yawns. She was laying on Aiedo's bed, fully clothed, with a butterfly in a jar resting on her chest. She was in the middle of lightly tapping the glass to rouse a reaction when a sudden shudder through the walls signaled that someone had just closed the door downstairs. Aela could feel her ears perk up at the sound of someone climbing the stairs. She drops a hand to her hip, thinking it was lackey like the guard from earlier that had entered Aiedo's home, just to finish telling them the story about how he used to be an adventure like them, until he took an arrow to the knee. She lets go of the dagger's hilt and resumes her examination of the bug when she catches the whiff of a familiar scent.

"I took you up on your offer," the Huntress says when she hears the bedroom door open and close. A sharp _pang _grabs her attention. She peers up and sees Aiedo standing at the table in the corner, her back to her, undressing. Aela quickly averts her eyes. "Though, under your standards, I think I'm a little overdressed." She chuckles, and looks back when Aiedo doesn't do the same.

Aiedo was hunched over the table, one hand gripping the table's edge tightly while the other was threading through her hair in a way that one might do when agitated.

"Are you-" A raised hand stops her from talking further. Aiedo's posture slowly straightens. She turns her head to look at her, and Aela could catch a glimpse of her red-rimmed gold eyes - the dying effects of bloodlust. Aiedo turns to sit in one of the chairs. She bends forwards and begins to unbuckle the straps of her boots.

Aela shifts uncomfortably at the growing silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aela asks, breaking the stillness in the air. Aiedo visibly stiffens, the straps falling from her slack fingers. There is movement from behind the curtain of wet, dark hair. After a moment of saying nothing, she reaches down and continues with her earlier task, uttering a gruff _'_no_.'__  
_

"Are you sure?" Aela presses on. She sits up in the bed and crosses her legs, the butterfly in the jar placed in between them. She absently drums her fingers on the lid. "I'm a really active listener, if in the mood."

"Aela-"

"With that said," she continues on, as if not interrupted, "I'm not really _in_ the mood; I'm tired from the dallying about, really, but I think I can make an exception for you."

Aiedo kicks the boots off of her feet and stands. Donned in nothing but a tunic and a pair of breeches, she runs a hand through her hair again and stares at Aela with an unreadable expression.

"Aela, I..." She begins to say, but trails off awkwardly. The Huntress waits for her to continue.

She doesn't.

Resisting the urge to sigh disappointedly, Aela instead plasters on a smile.

"Well, where is your housecarl?" Aela asks. She was in the midst of leaning over to place the jar back where she got it, so she didn't see Aiedo's mood change from somber to murderous. "Lydia, I believe her name was; I wanted to thank her for the stew." Aela startled when the bed suddenly dipped. She looks at Aiedo, who had her back to her.

Aela tilts her head curiously. She reaches forward to touch her shoulder, and retracts her hand when she hears a threatening growl warning her actions. The Huntress could feel her own Beast rise up to the challenge, but she pushes the creature back when Aiedo's body begins to shake. Aela was opted to reach for her again, but decides against it. She turns her back to Aiedo. After a moment of staring of the wall, she reaches up and pinches the three candlewicks.

The room is bathed in darkness. Aela closes her eyes, and tries to block out the sound of the rain's consistent pattering, and Aiedo's mournful whining.

* * *

_She was standing at the gates of Helgen, which was certain the moment she looks around her and sees the familiar surroundings. She wasn't sure why she here again, for the third now. She thought that maybe she had to bypass the city in order to get to the other side of the mountain, and for that she would just use the shortcut just off to the side, but something kept her in that spot, and something compelled her to push open the gates and enter._

_Upon entering, she sees what she expected to see: the ruined aftermath of a dragon attack. She had witnessed this very same sight the last time she had visited, months after the attack. She cautiously steps over the rubble, passes through some of the houses when the piles were too steep to climb._

_She ventures further and enters a clearing. She reaches the block where she had once laid her head upon. It was still covered in dried blood, and she guesses it to be the blood of the Nord who had stepped forth to be executed first, just to be rid of hearing the rambling of that priest. She smirks at the memory. Her race of warriors was so fearless._

_There is a roar in the skies. She looks up in time to see a dragon land on the tower in front of her, and she stumbles as the earth trembled beneath her. Debris and dust fell, stinging her eyes. The mighty beast she had first encounter in this very same spot was watching her with its cold red eyes, its head tilting as if regarding her. The sun's rays, which soon were block by rolling thunder clouds, glittered and reflected off of its black scales._

_She reaches for her Blade's weapon, looks down when she couldn't. She sees her hands bound by rope and fanatically tugs, the rope chaffing and soon cutting into her wrists; the blood trailed down her hands and dripped off of her fingers. The shadow around her shifts, and she looks up, her eyes going wide. The beast was rising on its hind legs with its chest expanding, filling. She tries to run, but she is rooted to the spot, standing in nothing but rags, frozen in fear - helpless. The dragon hunches forward, opens its jaws, and she is cloaked with fire._

* * *

.0.

Aiedo's eyes snaps open, and she finds herself staring at a dark wall. She turns on her back and blinks her eyes rapidly, her face feeling tight from the dried up tears. With a shaky hand, she reaches up and wipes at the fresh ones that were trailing down her face. She had no idea why the nightmare affected her in such a way. For a moment, her mind was blank, and then the events of last night came barreling down on her, and it took an immense amount of willpower not to curl up into a ball and weep harder.

_Weak..._

Aiedo sits up in the bed, startled. Her eyes jump between the shadows of her room, looking for the person who had spoken. She irritably wipes at her eyes when her vision became blurry, and she searches again. Her brow furrows when she sees no one lurking in the dark depths of the corners.

She blinks and turns her head towards her bed mate. She lightly touches Aela's shoulder, which incited a light snore.

"What-"

_Unworthy..._

Aiedo noted the way that drawn out words ended with a growl. Her frown deepens.

"You speak?"

Aiedo's question is met with silence, but she could now feel a heavy presence in the back of her mind, tugging at the cords of her vision, as if to get her attention. She closes her eyes and, for the first time since joining the Circle, reaches out with her mind with the sole reason of communicating, and not calling on her Beast in times of need or blind fury.

To her surprise, the presence she had felt earlier retreated. She stops, hesitant, and was about to pull back until she felt a sudden flare from the presence. It alerted her of its location. It was as if it was leading her somewhere. After a brief moment of hesitation, she takes the bait, uncaring of the consequence of doing so. She dwells until she finds herself standing in front of a barred door.

Aiedo looks at her 'feet,' lifts them and twists them to see if what she was seeing and feeling was real. The stone that she was 'standing' on was as black as Ebony, and slick with... something.

There is a low growl. Aiedo looks up, and then a pair of slitted red and glowing eyes open.

"Why do you choose now to speak?" Aiedo asks, surprisingly sounding more confident and intimidating than she actually felt. She hadn't expected this. The red eyes blink once... twice... A puff of air is visible in the dark room when her Beast exhales. "Answer me!"

_Must die..._

Aiedo steps forward and clasps her hands around the iron bars; the red eyes seemed to have moved closer, too. Aiedo could feel the warm breath tickling her face.

"Who?" She demands, and shakes the bars angrily when there isn't an immediate response. "Who must die?" The red eyes narrow; Aiedo could no longer feel the breath on her face.

The red eyes close.

_You..._

* * *

.0.

"Again!" Aiedo barks over the clap thunder, an unusual fire burning behind her eyes. She throws her glass shield on the ground and uses her now free hand to move the wet tendrils of hair from her eyes. She paces the ground with long, fevered strides, and twirls the hilt of the dull training sword in her hand with practiced ease while she impatiently waits for the two brothers to get to their feet again.

They were at Jorrvaskr, in the training yards. When contracts started to die down, Aiedo one day suggested that everyone should be involved in a sparring match at least three times a week to keep their edge, herself included, if they wished. With that thought in mind, Aela curses as another drop of rain that had leaked through the patio's roof, slipped past her collar and trailed down her spine.

She was on the sidelines, her elbows to her knees, head resting on her palm. Being the only one specialized in bows, Aiedo refused to have the Huntress participate in any of the events. The Huntress obviously objected to this arrangement, but she relented after a couple coaxes from the warrior - two, to be precise. Aela cursed Aiedo's silver tongue.

"Again!"

Aela stills herself not to jump when Aiedo shouts. Even if the mere word wasn't a Word of Power, it's volume and intensity sounded like thunder more so than the real thing. While that sort of power scared her in some ways, it also excited in others. Aela shifts uncomfortably when her Beast conjured an image of Aiedo in the throes of passion with someone that had her face, the Dragonborn's lust filled cries shaking the earth and splitting the skies.

Aela feels a wetness gathering. She sighs as another drop of rain trails down her back.

Pushing himself up with the leveraged from his blade, Farkas was the first to stand. Aiedo stops and turns her body towards him, her eyes narrowing into slits, a low and angry growl rumbling in her chest.

_Release me..._

_I don't need you!_ Aiedo snarls inside of her mind. In reality, her lips pulls over her fangs and her stance lowers, making her look like a predator getting ready to pounce. _Stay out of this!_

_Release me... _Her Beast repeated over and over again, grating Aiedo's nerves. The warrior clasps her hands tightly over her ears and shuts her eyes, as if doing so will block her out.

With a furious roar, Aiedo starts forward. With three long bounds, she was directly in front of him, her arm twisted in mid-swing. Farkas raises his blade in an attempt to block, just barely deflecting her blade. Aiedo twists her arm and swings her blade in a back swing, the flat of the blade striking his thigh.

At close quarters, a two-handed weapon was hard, if impossible, to use offensively, so Farkas stuck with the defensive, backing away at any given chance a successful block would enable him to put some distance between them, whether to get in a good swing or to just catch his breath. He curses when the flat of Aiedo's blade strikes his bare shoulder. Aiedo feigns forward. Farkas jumps back. Aiedo stabs forward and Farkas gasps in pain as the dull tip dug painfully into his ribs. He hits it away, and his struggle to gain the upper hand began anew.

Somewhere in the midst of the flurry of clashing weapons, his blade catches hers. He suspends the blades above their heads and tries to recover his breath. Aiedo steps forward, the length of her blade sliding down Farkas' until their hilts crossed. Now it became a test of strength, which Aiedo would have normally be outmatched in against her Shield-Brother, but the muscles in Farkas' arms were on fire, and he could feel himself being pushed back, his boots sliding against the wet stone.

Aiedo stops moving forward and suddenly throws her arms up, taking the blade from Farkas' hands. It falls feet away from them. Aiedo strikes him across the jaw with her fist, causing color to burst behind his eyelids. The punch is followed by another, and another.

He reaches up and catches her fist inches away from his face. She headbutts him, and he lets go. She punches him on the underside of his jaw, lifting him off of the ground and into the air. Farkas grunts when his back hits the ground. His eyes close and his head falls to the side as he lost consciousness.

"Farkas!" Vilkas exclaims. He springs up from the ground with a growl and charges toward Aiedo, who was alarmingly advancing towards his downed brother until she saw him. Aiedo stops and turns to him, her eyes shrouded by the darkness of the hair that clung to her face, droplets of blood mixed with rain falling from her chin. She doesn't react to his cry; she stands perfectly still, the tip of her blade pointed towards the ground.

He swings anyway. In a blink of an eye, Aiedo's blade was up and blocking his. Vilkas grunts in surprise, but quickly recovers. He pushes with all of his might, but Aiedo simply would not give. During his struggle to at least move her an inch, he looks at her face, and gasps at what he sees. Aiedo's left eye was white and pupil less, with red clawing its way from her periphery.

Before he could look any further, Vilkas is pushed back with a savaged kick to the stomach. To his surprise, Aiedo was the one who stumbles back. She had a hand to her face, covering the eye that he saw was changing. Her tensed position falls slack. Her grip on the hilt loosens, and she looked ready to collapse at any given moment.

Concerned, Vilkas lowers his weapon and shield. He calls her name but she doesn't react to his voice. He tries again, only to get the same response: nothing. He shuffles his feet forward. Willing them to take larger steps, he slowly begins to approach their Harbinger.

Vilkas immediately stops when he sees her flinch and take a step back. He sees her lips move, but he doesn't hear anything over the roaring elements. Thinking nothing of it, he continues his approach.

"_No!"_

Lightening strikes, the sudden flash of light blinding him. He blinks away the few splotches of white, and when his vision cleared, Vilkas saw that Aiedo was no longer standing in front of him.

Aela, who was watching the fight intently and thus blinded as well, was wiping at her eyes when she heard rushing footsteps splashing in the puddles of water. Vilkas must have noticed as well, because he circles to where he heard the movement. He raises his shield, and was stunned at the feet he was pushed back. He peers from over his shield, and could tell that Aiedo had physically caused the blow herself by the way her left shoulder was slumped at her side. But the momentary uselessness of that arm did not stop her from charging forward and attacking with her blade.

Aiedo drove him back with an assault that caused his shield-arm to go numb. Vilkas grunts at each vicious impact, the strain wearing him down. He swings his shield blindly and somehow manages to hit her. Aiedo staggers back. Squaring his shoulders, Vilkas swings his blade in a powerful, downward arc. Aiedo gracefully turns to the side, the blade slicing through nothing but rain, inches from her chest.

Vilkas' blade strikes and impales the earth, trapping it. Aiedo stomps on the middle of the blade, snaps it in two. She jerks leg up and knees Vilkas in the face. Vilkas' vision flashes white, and before he knew it, he was sprawled on the ground, staring up at the grey sky.

He blinks, his head groggy, the rain somewhat burning his eyes and blood gushing out of his nose. His hands flex as the sting of the blows reverberates. He coughs, and then he chuckles. His chuckles turned into full blown laughter that caused tears to come to his eyes.

He and his brother bested by a woman twice as small and, probably, twice as young as them. He sighs contently, being pleased at having experience it all, and closes his eyes. He could hear footsteps approaching. He opens an eye, and sees Aiedo just standing there. She tilts her head and looks at him, her eyes cold and merciless - red.

Aiedo straddles him before he could react, places her hand on his heaving chest and brings up the dull blade. Aela and Vilkas' eyes widen. The Huntress expected Aiedo to make Vilkas admit his defeat, but the warrior only brought the blade up higher. She stands and rushes forward to stop the inevitable.

"Enough!" Aela shouts, just as Aiedo strikes.

* * *

.0.

Aela hangs her head and considers either knocking on the door in front of her or turning around, going back to Jorrvaskr and pretending that nothing happened. After a moment of thought, she knew the latter was far less likely to happen.

Farkas was there, nursing a couple of painful welts that labored his body. Vilkas was there, as well, nursing similar, painful welts while Tilma tended to his broken nose.

Aela sighs as she remembered how she had stopped Aiedo in time. She had grabbed the warrior by her wrist and dragged her into a stand. An animalistic growl had resonated from Aiedo, and she looked at the Huntress, her eyes pulsing red and her lips pulled back into a snarl. Aela recalled how the anger that graced her features had dissolved upon seeing her. The red drained from her eyes, and when she blinked, they had returned to their natural, golden hue.

Aela also recalled how she had looked shocked and appalled and disgusted, all in one expression. Her eyes jumped between the Huntress in front of her, and the warrior below her. _What's happening to me?_ she said, and before she could respond, Aiedo ran off.

So now she was here.

Aela could hear what she could only describe as a battle coming from behind the door: cries in anguish, metal against metal and grunts in rage. Ultimately, it sounded like things being thrown. She stands there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

When it sounded like everything had settled, she takes a deep breath and enters. Upon closing the door behind her, she stands there, bewildered.

Aiedo was pacing just beyond the hearth, surrounded by items that were torn from the shelves, tables and desktops; even the cooking pot was knocked over, though, luckily, it was vacant of any food. Aela looks down at her feet and sees the troll skull staring back at her. She picks it up, but she couldn't bring herself to smile at the way the jaw flopped around. Her eyes hardening, she looks at Aiedo.

"I spent a great deal redecorating your home," Aela says, dropping the skull. Crossing her arms, she then adds, "As you suggested."

Aiedo stops pacing and looks at her. The surprise in her eyes showed that she didn't know of her presence, but the shock was quickly replaced with something cold - something that wasn't Aiedo. Aiedo is silent as she replayed the words in her head, and then she says, "I appreciate it." The words were clipped, and she practically spat them out like they were coated in poison. Aela scoffs, skeptical.

_Do you?_ she was about to ask, but she stops herself when she saw the crazed look in Aiedo's eyes. They were wild, the pupils dilated, irises swirling with red and gold. Aiedo breathes in deeply. Aela notices the rapid rising and falling of her chest.

"Your Beast," Aela says suddenly, her eyes going wide with realization. Aiedo is silent, but all Aela needed to do was look at her face. "You're having a hard time containing her; I can almost see the battle unfolding in your mind."

Aiedo's brow knots into a pained expression. She closes her eyes to prevent the Huntress from looking in them and shakes her head.

"I'm not weak..."

No one said that you was weak, Sister." Aiedo opens her eyes, and Aela could see a certain type of vulnerability in them. "Do not fret," Aela says, stepping forward, "this sort of thing is not uncommon. Your body is simply getting use to carrying two souls."

Aiedo shakes her head again and sighs. She sits down in one of the chairs. Palming her face, she says, "No. This feels wrong."

Aela stops in her tracks. She was inches away from the hearth. She crouches and extends her hands towards the fire. She rubs her palms together, though the warmth did nothing to rid the cold growing in her bones.

"What feels wrong?" She asks.

Aiedo chuckles without humor. Aela peers up. Aiedo drops her arms onto her lap, and looks Aela dead in the eyes.

"Everything." Aiedo chuckles again with no mirth. "Everything!" She repeats, throwing her arms up and out to motion to everything around her. "This house, these trophies, these titles-" At this, Aiedo places her head in her hands. "By the Divines, these _titles_!" Her shoulders begin to shake with uncontrollable laughter. It went on for moments. When her laughter subsided, she looks at Aela once more, her expression blank. "Everything about my life feels _wrong_, Aela. These scars I bore do not label someone who is battle-hardened and fit to take on the world, like everyone expects from a true Dragonborn, but they mark someone who is in over her head. Don't you get it, Aela? I've just simply been getting _lucky_."

"Where is all of this nonsense coming from?" Aela asks slowly, her voice incredulous.

Aiedo leans forward and hovers over the hearth, the wavering flames creating shadows that flickered across her face. The fire seemed to dance in her eyes, giving her a wicked, sensual look. "Why, it's all coming from up here," she says, tapping her head. She grins maniacally, displaying all of her fangs. "My Beast spoke to me!"_  
_

Aela falters. Aiedo notices and calls her out on it.

"No words?" she says mockingly, and she is right: she has none for that.

"What's happening to you?" Aela blurts, staring at the woman that was seemingly familiar and yet completely unknown to her. Aiedo feels a sharp pang of hurt pierce her chest, but she mistakes it for rage.

"Why don't you tell me!" Aiedo shouts, rising and looking down at her, but the Huntress was quick to stand just as tall.

"Watch it, Sister!" Aela snaps, her hand falling to her hip and loosening the dagger in its scabbard. Aiedo's eyes follow this motion and her frown deepens.

The two women glowered at each other, snarling, flaring at the nostrils, nothing holding them back except for the burning hearth that either woman was ready to jump to get to the other.

Aiedo was the first to snap out of the haze. She looks around her, confused, and as if remembering something, she looks at Aela and it slowly begins to dawn to her. She dips her head, stares at the fire for a moment before closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

"She wants me dead, Aela."

That caused the Huntress to calm down some from the anger towards Aiedo in general, but a new sort of panic clawed in its wake. Out of the many lectures that Kodlak had taught those within the Circle, the lectures about the possible dangers they could expect involving their Beast, the last lecture he had taught came to mind - the one that, he said, would end with either the death of your Beast, or yourself.

_Could it be..._ she wondered, before perishing the thought with a shake of her head. Without a second thought, she grabs Aiedo's wrist, maneuvers her around the hearth and leads her to the door.

"Where are we heading to?" She hears Aiedo ask. Without looking back or stopping, she says, "To the Bannered Mare. We will need a clear head to think this through, and the only way to think clearly is to drink heavily." Aiedo arches a brow and opens her mouth to speak, but she closes it after deciding not to question Aela's questioning logic.

With her hand on the door, Aela felt the hand in her grasp twist, and she freezes when Aiedo's laces their fingers. She glances back at her.

"Maybe that is what I need," Aiedo says gratefully, flashing her an impish grin. She brings their clasped hands close to her face and brushes her lips across the Huntress' knuckles, unaware of the ways the simple gesture affected her partner. "And there's this man named Sam that keeps challenging me to a drinking contest; I think I will indulge him."


	5. Chapter 3

It was night outside, her family was asleep, and all of the candles were extinguished, saved for the one off to her left. She taps the dagger's tip against her temple, her eyes roaming over the map laid in front of her. The candle next to her sways and dims, as if being disrupted by some unknown breeze. It flickered. Just when it was going to go out, the flame stilled, and then roared back to life with renowned vigor.

"You're earlier than expected," Astrid said, her eyes still on the map.

"I was in the neighborhood," a low and raspy voice replied. Astrid looks up and sees an assassin standing there, her head covered with a cowl. The red and black studded armor she wore was worn and covered with dirt and dust, void of any blood. She takes a few steps forward, her red eyes shining bright, looking at her expectantly.

"Why did you call me here?" she asked. Astrid's twirls the dagger's hilt and hums to herself.

"Did you know that one of our fellow family members was killed during an assassination attempt?" she casually asked. The impending silence said that she didn't, but Astrid also knew that she didn't care. She continues on anyway. "J'rasn, I believe her name was; a fine assassin."

The other is silent. She places her hands on the edge of the table and peers down at the map. She reaches out and touches the Hold that was marked with a blot of red. In a flash, Astrid brought the dagger down on her fingers. The assassin grunts, unmoving. In a surprisingly leveled tone, she says, "A death in the family is not uncommon, or my concern."

"So cold!" Astrid exclaimed with a cruel smile. She ignores the threatening hiss and places her hand on the one that she had stabbed. "Perhaps you need a willing partner to warm you up?" The assassin pulls away. She raises her hand for Astrid to see and wiggles all of her fingers. "Oh, I'm losing my touch."

"I'm not here to play your games," the assassin growled, her eyes glowing brighter. "I will ask you once more: Why did you call me here?" Astrid smiles rakishly and holds up her hands to show that she meant no malice.

"All bullshit aside, the contract, the one that our sister failed to eliminate, is still out there."

"So?"

"So we, the people of the Dark Brotherhood, like to see that unfinished business is finished."

"Then get someone else to do it," she said flatly.

"And just who do you propose, hmm? Nazir? Babette? Festus? Perhaps even me?" Astrid shakes her head before she could answer. "No, we need to take a different approach with this one." Astrid smiled and leaned back, fingers laced on her chest. "I need someone with a deft touch."

This seemed to catch the assassin's interest. She places her hands back onto the table and leans forward. The candle's light shed some visage of her face: a sharp chin and thin lips that were pulled into a tight line.

"You know me well, Astrid. You know I don't like to waste my time with child's play."

"Aye, I do know you, but only to some extent." At this, Astrid winks at her partner. Her mirthful mood wasn't reaching out to the assassin, who continued to stare at her with blood red eyes, her body language hostile.

Astrid resisted the urge to laugh. She props her head in one hand and stares back.

"Like I said before, J'rasn was a skilled assassin; not as good as you or the others, but skilled, nonetheless. This will be no small feat, my dear."

"You are sure of this?"

"Have I failed to disappoint, yet?" The assassin did not answer.

"Bonuses?"

"None, unfortunately," Astrid said. "But see this as a way to proceed any way you see fit." The assassin nods her head, almost in approval. She pushes herself off of the table.

"And the contract in Solitude?" she asked, to which Astrid shrugs.

"You have a couple of weeks, so it can be put on hold."

"Then I will take it."

"Good."

"And the contract's name?" Astrid looks off, seeming troubled with her brows knotted into a frown.

"Aiedo Lothario," she said, leaving it at that. She waves her hand and looks at the map, signaling that their business was done. The assassin turns to depart.

Without looking to see if she was still within earshot, Astrid said, "Oh and do be careful, Listener. This one is highly dangerous."

.0.

Aiedo curses softly when she feels the ground beneath her shake. She stops all movement and presses her back to the boulder behind her, motioning to her companions to do the same. Aela was next to her in an instant, her hand moving to unsheathe her hunting bow. Aiedo places a hand on hers and shakes her head. The Huntress is hesitant, but she drops her hand, and they wait for the Giant to pass.

Vigilance came trotting up to them, his tail wagging wildly. He sits on his hind legs and barks loudly, causing one of the women to rush forward to clamp a hand over his muzzle. He didn't resist her. He just sat there and stared at the woman with his big puppy-dog eyes.

Aiedo sighs, shakes her head, and motions for the Huntress to have a look. Aela turns and disappears around the corner. A moment later, she returns to her side and nods her head.

What was their concern was not the Giant – not really, but the small goat trailing behind him. Aiedo looks Vigilance in the eye and presses a finger to her lips. He dips his head, almost like he knew what she was trying to say – which he probably did. These animals, especially the ones that she has come across, were so much smarter compared to her first few companions.

Aiedo leaves the cover of the boulder and sneaks behind the retreating pair with her two companions in tow. She stops feet away from the small goat and clicks her tongue. The goat stops. Aiedo clicks her tongue again, and the goat inclines its head to look at her. Its beady eyes were transfixed on the wheat she was waving in its direction. The goat turns around and slowly begins to walk towards her.

Aiedo looked up when the shaking ceased and saw the Giant just standing there, facing the other direction and moving side to side. She turned her attention back to the animal. She waves the wheat and clicks her tongue when the goat lost interest and began to trail away. When it was within reach, the goat takes the wheat into its mouth and begins to chew thoroughly.

Aiedo heaves a sigh of relief.

"Now, let's get you to your rightful owner," she whispered.

She made the mistake of standing up.

The Giant turned around. Aiedo could feel her heart stop in her chest. With its club still braced across its shoulders, the Giant calmly stared at her. Aiedo takes a few cautious steps back, and the goat, who was still chewing on the wheat, follows her movements. The Giant sees this, and when he realized that the goat was no longer following him, he roars and charges toward the human.

Aiedo tries to ready herself but the Giant was on her in a second. With his large club sweeping over the grass and rushing towards her, all she could do was raise her shield. And the impact still left her breathless. Aela watches helplessly as Aiedo soars through the air, crashing into the ground yards away from them, unmoving.

The giant roars and stomps his foot, slamming his club into the ground to further intimidate. Vigilance drops low to the ground and bares his teeth, his ears upturning and lying flat against his head. Aela turns her attention to the Giant and unleashes a flurry of arrows that only she could pull off with an uncanny precision. The Giant swats at them like they were flies, grunting in pain at the ones that hit their mark. He bounds toward the Huntress, causing her to step back while she continued to fire. On the next arrow, she calmed her nerves, slowed her breath, narrowed her eye, and fired. The arrow imbedded in the Giant's eye. It swings blindly with its club while clawing at his face with the other hand.

Vigilance rushes forward and bites the Giant's leg. The Giant turns towards the new source of pain and swipes there with its massive hand, catching Vigilance on his side. Vigilance slammed in the rock they had used for cover earlier. The dog whimpers as he tries to stand. He manages to get to all fours, only to crumple back onto the ground with a loud cry.

The Giant trained his one eye on the Huntress. He bounds toward her. Aela reaches for an arrow but her hand swipes at air. She drops her bow, unsheathes her sword and waits till he was within striking range.

Before it reached her, a large figured rammed into the Giant. He was in mid-step, so he lost his balance and fell to the ground with the creature on top of it. At first Aela thought it was Vigilance, but the dog in question came hobbling up to her, whining and looking up at her in question. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was in fact a werewolf.

The beast was on the Giant's chest, its teeth sunken deep into the Giant's throat, snarling viciously. The Giant was wrestling in its grip and roaring in pain. It reached up and grabbed the werewolf's body and tried to rip it off. The werewolf tightened its jaws, and there is a snap of a bone so loud that even Aela heard from where she stood, watching in stunned silence.

The Giant went motionless. The werewolf continued to feed. When its bloodlust was sated, it reared up and roared.

"Aiedo?" The werewolf's ears twitched. It turned around and stared at them, its red eyes unblinking. It jumps off the Giant's chest and slowly stalks towards them, seemingly calm. The werewolf looks at Vigilance, who barks and wags his tail, then at the Huntress.

_I am not the one you seek._ It said, coming to a stop.

"Then you are truly her beast," Aela said in awe. She reaches out to touch her, but she catches herself after thought. The werewolf lowers her head, granting her permission, and growls lowly at the feel of the human's hand running through her fur. "How is this even possible? What happened to Aiedo?"

_I do not know, for she did not call onto me. Her consciousness just suddenly disappeared. Her body was empty, so I took it._ Upon hearing these words, her hand stops its venture, and Aela can feel herself slowly begin to panic.

"Are you saying that she is dead?" The werewolf backs away, shaking its massive head.

_Not dead; not yet._ Aela relaxes slightly, and then tenses again after replaying the words in her head.

"Not yet?" The Huntress questions, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. The werewolf looks at their surroundings, her ears twitching in different directions. "She told me you had spoken to her. She said you wanted her dead."

_Yes._

"Why?"

_Because,_ the werewolf growls in disgust, _my Master is weak, and pathetic. She is unworthy of me._

Aela crosses her arms and laughs without humor. "Who knew that werewolves had such high standards?"

The werewolf growls deeper and moves closer, and Aela cranes her neck to look up at her.

_She was strong once, someone I was proud to be bound to, then she let someone close to us die, and she used me as an outlet for her anger._

Aela's heart lurches and her gaze soften to a look of pity. She places a hand to her head and groans, "Lydia…"

The werewolf flinches as if taken a physical blow. Aela notices the slight movement, and she looks up at the mighty beast in concern. The beast paws at her ears and grunts.

_I do not know you humans by your true names, but that one causes me great sorrow. If you deem that one correct, then yes._

"You do not know us by our true names?"

_No._

"Then how did you know who I was talking about when I said Aiedo?"

_Because the emotion I felt – I feel when you speak that name, is rage._

"Why? People die; that is something you cannot prevent, no matter how powerful you are," Aela said in an attempt to defend her friend. You can't blame your Master for the inevitable."

_That may be true, but _had _she been stronger, she would not be brooding and wallowing in self-hatred._

"But that's not-"

_Enough!_ The beast howls, dropping onto all fours. Aela bares her teeth, and growl resonating in her chest, but she does not lash out, 'cause even in this form, Aiedo was still her alpha. The Huntress instead forces her body to relax. She growls once, but overall submits.

The werewolf stops snarling, her eyes widening in what Aela surmised to be her form of surprise. She stands on two legs, and tilts her head like a curious pup.

_You have the blood of a beast._ She inches closers and sniffs her. _Who are you?_ She asked, unable to match the scent.

"My name is Aela the Huntress," she said, somewhat wounded that she was not easily recognized. Or so she thought. Upon hearing her name, the werewolf begins snarling again, her fangs dripping saliva. The Huntress takes a small step back, a hand falling to her hip. "Do you-" The words were barely out of her mouth before Aela found herself on her back, breathless, with the beast straddling her body. Her arms were trapped by her sides, so she could not reach for her blade.

The werewolf placed her clawed hands on either side of the Huntress' head, and said one word that turned Aela's world upside down.

_Mine!_

.0.

Her shoulders were aching, her back was stiffening, her fingers were cramping, and still Aiedo pushed on. She leans back to rest, wipes her sweaty brow on her arm, and sighs.

"Is that everything?" She asked, watching her ruffled reflection shudder in the water. With all of the shuffling going on behind her, she didn't know if Aela was actively searching, or if she was just going about her business, but she didn't turn around to see. She was about to continue washing their clothes in the riverbed when something made of soft fabric lands on her head and obstructs her view.

Aiedo takes whatever it is off of her head, and nearly fumbles when she saw the Huntress' undergarments in her grasp. She quickly stuffs the fabric in the bucket of water, her face turning red. She spares a glance over her shoulder and sees the Huntress poking the fire, surrounded by an air of indifference. Vigilance was by her side, fast asleep. They had lost Allie during their journey, but Aiedo didn't worry about her. She was positive that her war horse was just fine, out there fighting dragons without her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, genuinely concerned for her friend. The Huntress only spoke when needed or prompted. She has been increasingly quite ever since she had awoken from her unconscious state, and that had nearly been a week ago.

"What happened to Lydia?"

The question was so sudden, and so casually asked that it took Aiedo by surprise.

"What?" she says, unsure if she'd heard correctly. She stands and approaches Aela, who tosses the stick into the flame and stands as well.

"What happened to Lydia?" Aela asked again, shrugging as if it was no big deal. Aiedo's expression said otherwise – that the Huntress was treading on dangerous territory.

"Don't even go there," Aiedo warned her, stopping just before reaching the fire. Nothing held them apart expect for the flame, and the familiarity of their positions seemed almost too surreal.

"And why not?" Aela egged on, keeping her expression cool and detached. "I have the right to know, don't I?"

"No!" The bluntness stings, but Aela does not outwardly express it. Aiedo was near crazed, and had she not transformed earlier today for their dinner, she would have, more than likely, transformed due to her anger. Her gaze could make even the most battle-hardened man feel as incompetent as a small child, and Aela could feel her own beast cower in fear, but the Huntress plants her shoulders and stands her ground.

"Lydia is dead, isn't she?"

"She's not dead!" Aiedo shouted, her voice cracking. Tears were already steadily falling. "There's no way that… I-I didn't find her body. There's a chance she..." She was shaking so bad that Aela was afraid that she would fall into a state of hysteria. Aiedo wrings her trembling hands together and tries to calm herself. She turns away quickly, the growing shame of having her Shield-Sister see her in this pathetic state surpassing her anger.

"What do you want from me?" She asked in a small, defeated voice. Aela circles around her, and steps forward until there was nearly no space left between them. She tenderly places a hand on the warrior's wet cheek and forces her to meet her gaze. She waits until Aiedo looks her in the eye to smile encouragingly at her.

"I want you to be more honest with me," she replied. Seeing Aiedo's confused expression, Aela rise on the tips of her toes and kisses her. Aiedo stiffens and grunts in surprise, frozen in shock. Her mind finally catches up, and her muscles slowly began to relax, and her eyes closed instinctively.

They stayed that way for a moment that seemed too brief. Aela was the one to pull away first. Aiedo's eyes were still closed, her full lips parted, and she smiled ruefully. "A lot more honest."

.0.

Rejoice! Who knew it would feel so good to start working on this wonderful piece again?

I can't say that I am pleased with the outcome, but at least it is out there. I hope that this doesn't seem too rushed, but I wouldn't have been able to finish this chapter otherwise.

Do expect some mind boggling material in the near future because I am a woman with a plan, and when I think hard on something, know that someone is about to get hurt! Metaphorically speaking, of course…


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